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Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 79

आकाशे प्रक्षिपेद्वापि स्थितो वा दक्षिणामुखः । पितॄणां स्थानमाकाशं दक्षिणा चैव दिक्तथा

ākāśe prakṣipedvāpi sthito vā dakṣiṇāmukhaḥ | pitṝṇāṃ sthānamākāśaṃ dakṣiṇā caiva diktathā

จะโปรยเครื่องบูชาขึ้นสู่ท้องฟ้าก็ได้ หรือยืนหันหน้าไปทางทิศใต้แล้วถวายก็ได้ เพราะสำหรับปิตฤทั้งหลาย ท้องฟ้าเป็นที่สถิต และทิศใต้ก็เป็นทิศของท่านเช่นกัน

ākāśein the sky
ākāśe:
Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
TypeNoun
Rootākāśa (प्रातिपदिक)
Formनपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन (loc. sg.)
prakṣipetshould throw, should cast
prakṣipet:
Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
TypeVerb
Rootpra√kṣip (क्षिप् धातु)
Formविधिलिङ्, परस्मैपद, प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन (3rd sg. opt.)
or
:
Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootvā (अव्यय)
Formअव्यय (विकल्पार्थक particle)
apialso, even
api:
Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootapi (अव्यय)
Formअव्यय (समुच्चय/अपि-कारक particle)
sthitaḥstanding, situated
sthitaḥ:
Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
TypeVerb
Root√sthā (स्था धातु) + क्त-प्रत्यय (भूतकृदन्त)
Formक्त-कृदन्त (past passive participle used adjectivally), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन (masc. nom. sg.)
or
:
Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootvā (अव्यय)
Formअव्यय (विकल्पार्थक particle)
dakṣiṇāmukhaḥsouth-facing
dakṣiṇāmukhaḥ:
Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
TypeAdjective
Rootdakṣiṇā (प्रातिपदिक) + mukha (प्रातिपदिक)
Formकर्मधारय-समास (‘दक्षिणं मुखं यस्य/दक्षिणं मुखम्’); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन (masc. nom. sg.)
pitṝṇāmof the ancestors (pitṛs)
pitṝṇām:
Sambandha (Genitive/षष्ठी-सम्बन्ध)
TypeNoun
Rootpitṛ (प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, बहुवचन (gen. pl.)
sthānamplace, abode
sthānam:
Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
TypeNoun
Rootsthāna (प्रातिपदिक)
Formनपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (nom./acc. sg.; here predicate nominative)
ākāśamthe sky
ākāśam:
Pradhana-predicative (Predicate/विधेय)
TypeNoun
Rootākāśa (प्रातिपदिक)
Formनपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (nom./acc. sg.; here predicate complement)
dakṣiṇāthe southern (direction)
dakṣiṇā:
Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
TypeNoun
Rootdakṣiṇā (प्रातिपदिक)
Formस्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन (fem. nom. sg.)
caand
ca:
Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootca (अव्यय)
Formअव्यय (समुच्चय-बोधक conjunction)
evaindeed, only
eva:
Kriya-visheshana (Emphasis/अवधारण)
TypeIndeclinable
Rooteva (अव्यय)
Formअव्यय (निश्चय/अवधारण particle)
dikdirection
dik:
Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
TypeNoun
Rootdiś (प्रातिपदिक)
Formस्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन (fem. nom. sg.; form = dik)
tathāthus, likewise
tathā:
Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
TypeIndeclinable
Roottathā (अव्यय)
Formअव्यय (क्रियाविशेषण)

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) narrating to the sages (deduced)

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Scene: A pilgrim at Prabhāsa performs pitṛ-tarpaṇa facing south; with cupped hands he casts libations upward into the open sky, invoking Pitṛs; the sea-breeze and tīrtha ambience frame the rite.

P
Pitṛs
Ā
Ākāśa (sky)
D
Dakṣiṇā diś (southern direction)

FAQs

Śrāddha is guided by sacred directions and cosmology: offerings align with the Pitṛs’ quarter, integrating ritual with cosmic order.

Prabhāsakṣetra, where ancestral rites are taught with precise directional and cosmological rationale.

Make the offering while facing south, and/or cast it upward; the sky and the southern direction are identified as Pitṛ-associated loci.